10 Pieces of Advice We Wish We Knew Before Traveling

Useful Travel Tips Learned After Traveling 75 Countries

Through their years of travelling, our travel experts Alison and Tessa, have each had their fair share of travel adventures, stories and mishaps. They have learned many lessons from their travel mistakes and now these experienced travellers are sharing their top 10 pieces of advice that you should know before you travel. Watch this video to listen to their useful tips and learn from their mistakes so you don’t end up making the same ones.

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In a hurry? Here is a quick overview of their useful tips:

1. Check the weather

Make sure that you understand the weather conditions for where you are going and pack accordingly. Don’t just assume what the weather will be like, even places like India get snow!

2. Pack less than you think you think

The last think that you want to be carrying around with you is extra luggage. If you are worried about not having enough clothing – don’t! You will wear way less of your clothes than you think and if you do find yourself missing something, you can just buy it along the way. Plus you will want extra room in your bag for souvenirs.

3. Don’t be too cheap

We are all for budget travel because it often provides a more authentic experience. However, be weary of just how cheap you are. Is it worth taking a 24 hours bus ride instead of taking a quick flight to save yourself money that you can make back in the future? You can always make money back – but your time spent will be gone forever.

4. Buy that souvenir

When traveling you will come across things that you will never see again in your life. Even if you are lucky enough to find them in your home country, they will likely be 10 times the price. If you see something unique that grabs your attention buy it – especially if if will remind you of your amazing trip. It is also a great way to support locals in the countries you visit.

5. Don’t leave somewhere that makes you happy

You may stumble across somewhere on your travels that completely captivates you, where you meet a great group of people and have a riot of time. If stumble upon somewhere special enough that you find yourself saying you’ll come back – don’t leave. Take a few extra days to enjoy your time there because the reality is that you may never come back. You probably have other places that you want to go and check out, but you will just be disappointed by them if you are regretting leaving the previous destination too soon.

6. Don’t try and see everything

The world is an amazing place with what seems like an endless amount of destinations waiting to be explored. While we definitely can relate to you wanting to see as much as possible, we actually advise against it. If you spend the money and take the time to travel across the world – make sure to soak it in and enjoy it. If you try to see a different place every day, eventually every city will blend together, and you won’t remember distinct qualities about the places you visited. Instead, spend a few days in each destination, walking down the cobble stone streets, finding your favourite cafe, and getting to know the locals.

7. Stay in Hostels

There is no better way to meet people while traveling than by staying at a hostel. You travels will never be boring if you stay at a hostel because you will meet people from all over the world to explore with. After all, half of what makes a place is the people you are with. Hostels also often put on their own social activities like family style dinners or walking tours. Plus, they are way more affordable than a hotel!

8. Be flexible with your travel plans

Since you will be staying at hostels (right!?) you will meet a bunch of friends. Chances are they they will invite you to join them to another destination or on a fun day trip. If you already have your plans set in stone then you won’t be able to take them up on their fun offer. Having a rough itinerary is a good idea but make sure to remain flexible so that you can take advantage of new opportunities that arise or so you can stay longer in a place that you don’t want to leave.

9. Travel solo

“Solo Travel” is perhaps the wrong term because it makes it sound like you will be all by yourself during your travels. The truth is that it is hard to be “solo” while you are traveling because you will always be meeting people. Since most people travel solo they will also be looking to meet people – making it very easy to make friends! The best part about solo travel is that you can do what you want, when you want. Not traveling with a friend also pushes you to put yourself out there to meet new people – a great life skill!

10. Don’t wait!

We can’t stress this enough – DON’t WAIT! You have one life to live, do you want to spend it all in one place going through the same routine? Go travel, see the world, discover new places and challenge yourself. Think you can’t afford it? If you do a working holiday you can actually live and work abroad, plus our team is here to guide you every step of the way – so no excuses!